Inhibition of Bacillus anthracis Spore Outgrowth by Nisin

Inhibition of Bacillus anthracis spore outgrowth by nisin.

The lantibiotic nisin has previously been reported to inhibit the outgrowth of spores from several Bacillus species. However, the mode of action of nisin responsible for outgrowth inhibition is poorly understood. By using B. anthracis Sterne 7702 as a model, nisin acted against spores with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) and an IC(90) of 0.57 microM and 0.90 microM, respectively. Viable...

Mechanism of Inhibition of Bacillus anthracis Spore Outgrowth by the Lantibiotic Nisin

The lantibiotic nisin inhibits growth of vegetative Gram-positive bacteria by binding to lipid II, which disrupts cell wall biosynthesis and facilitates pore formation. Nisin also inhibits the outgrowth of bacterial spores, including spores of Bacillus anthracis, whose structural and biochemical properties are fundamentally different from those of vegetative bacteria. The molecular basis of nis...

Spore Germination and Outgrowth Spore Detection and Functional Analyses of Bacillus anthracis Monoclonal Antibodies for

Morphogenesis of the Bacillus anthracis spore.

Bacillus spp. and Clostridium spp. form a specialized cell type, called a spore, during a multistep differentiation process that is initiated in response to starvation. Spores are protected by a morphologically complex protein coat. The Bacillus anthracis coat is of particular interest because the spore is the infective particle of anthrax. We determined the roles of several B. anthracis orthol...

Activate to Eradicate: Inhibition of Clostridium difficile Spore Outgrowth by the Synergistic Effects of Osmotic Activation and Nisin

BACKGROUND Germination is the irreversible loss of spore-specific properties prior to outgrowth. Because germinating spores become more susceptible to killing by stressors, induction of germination has been proposed as a spore control strategy. However, this strategy is limited by superdormant spores that remain unaffected by germinants. Harsh chemicals and heat activation are effective for sti...